Report to/Rapport au :
Emergency and Protective Services Committee
Comité des services de protection et
d'urgence
24 March 2004 / le 24 mars 2004
Submitted by/Soumis par : Steve Kanellakos, General Manager / Directeur général
Emergency and Protective Services/Services de protection et d'urgence
Contact Person/Personne
ressource : Rick Larabie, Fire Chief
Fire Services/Services des incendies
(613) 580-2424 x29455, Rick.Larabie@ottawa.ca
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REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That the Emergency and Protective Services Committee receive this report for information.
RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT
Que le Comité des services de protection et d'urgence prenne connaissance du présent rapport à titre d'information.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Shortly after amalgamation in 2001, the Ministry of Natural Resources discontinued the management of the city's forests. At that time, the City of Ottawa commissioned the McCready Report that described the program and made recommendations to the city for its continued delivery. The report contained six recommendations which addressed Forest Fire Management issues; all of which were endorsed and implemented by the Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) as outlined in this report.
RÉSUMÉ
Peu après la fusion en 2001, le ministère des Ressources naturelles a mis fin à la gestion des forêts d’Ottawa. À cette époque, la Ville d’Ottawa a commandé le rapport McCready qui décrit le programme et formule des recommandations à la Ville à l’effet que ce dernier soit toujours offert. Le rapport contenait six recommandations abordant les questions de la gestion des incendies de forêt, qui ont toutes été appuyées et mises en œuvre par le Service des incendies d’Ottawa (SIO), comme le précise le présent rapport.
BACKGROUND
The ‘Agreement
Forest’ program was a partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR)
and the municipalities of Cumberland (Cumberland Forest), the Region of
Ottawa-Carleton (Marlborough Forest, Carp Hills, and Pinery - Long Swamp) and
West Carleton (Torbolton Forest). The
agreements were established under the Forestry Act, which allowed the
MNR to manage the properties for forestry purposes, which included: forest
products, wildlife habitat, recreation, natural heritage, soil erosion
protection, water quality protection, fire management and education for the
owners.
With the transfer of the forestry program to the City of Ottawa, the City commissioned the McCready report on "Agreement Forests of the City of Ottawa" [prepared by Jim McCready, a registered Professional Forester, retired from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, who runs his own tree and forestry consulting business], which outlined recommendations for the ongoing management of the forests. These recommendations addressed each aspect of the service that MNR had provided including Fire Management, which is the subject of this report.
It is important to note that the 5 forests that are now part of the new City of Ottawa are vastly varying in size and public use. Consequently, the recommendations were sometimes implemented in differing degrees depending on the need in each forest.
DISCUSSION
Fire management
has always been an integral part of protecting the investment and enhancing habitat
in the forests. It is important that
the fire service staff are trained, that access to the forests is provided and
the appropriate equipment is available, in order to effectively suppress forest
wildfires. Likewise, with the Urban
interface of Ottawa at the doorsteps of these forests, it is important that the
public be educated on the potential of wildfires and that residents take the
proper precautions when building homes and living near the forest lands.
In an effort to
facilitate appropriate hand off to the City, the McCready report on “Agreement
Forests of the City of Ottawa" made recommendations that provided guidance
to the fire service. As a result, Ottawa
Fire Services had developed the following programs in an effort to comply with
each of the six (6) recommendations.
Encourage and support local firefighters in all rural areas to receive the training in wildfires through the MNR’s 103 training package.
While many of
Ottawa’s rural firefighters have already participated in Wildfire suppression training,
OFS has identified a point of contact within its training division to
coordinate ongoing training compliant with MNR's S103 and will be conducting
its first training session for approximately 60 firefighters in the spring of
2004. A strategic command course was
hosted in February 2004, with 12 senior officers from both the Rural and Urban
operations in attendance. The course
focused on specific issues pertaining to command and control of wildland fires.
For example, calculating the rate of fire spread for brush and forest fires,
along with how to mitigate the risks associated with that spread, differs
significantly from that normally associated with structural firefighting.
Consequently, specialized training is required. Likewise, future courses will be planned that deal with
suppression operations and tactics which will include the utilization of
specialized equipment.
Maintain good access into the forest by
regularly maintaining key access roads.
The Transportation, Utilities and Public Works Department (TUPW) had worked with the OFS to identify and upgrade certain roads in the forests where access was identified as an issue. To date, fifteen kilometres (15km's) of roadway have been upgraded to a standard that can accommodate emergency vehicles. Additional upgrades and forest access roads are required and these will be identified when OFS, the Ottawa Police Service and TUPW meet in the spring of 2004.
For controlling access in the peak fire season, repairs, upgrades and installation of controlled access points has been carried-out in the forests. This included 6 gates in the Marlborough forest and 12 gates in the Torbolton forest which have had lock boxes installed to control access while still allowing OFS entry when required. The OFS, the Ottawa Police Services and TUPW will continue to meet and prioritize future capital projects and ongoing operating needs.
In addition to improved access via the road infrastructure within the forests, OFS has agreements with Ottawa Police Services to provide aircraft reconnaissance as well as aircraft water drops with a Helicopter Training Corporation stationed out of the Carp Airport when required.
Encourage the purchase of specialized fire fighting
equipment, which can access the rough terrain where some of these forests are
located.
The OFS has a
total of 5 brush trucks which are strategically located and carry standard
equipment for the purposes of wildfire suppression. In addition, OFS has purchased additional forestry fire pumps and
hoses, which are lighter and allow for water to be delivered over longer
distances. In addition, an equipment
trailer has been purchased, that can transport additional specialized equipment
to a forest fire scene. Two (2)
six-wheel all-terrain vehicles (ATV's) are also in-service to support the
deployment of firefighters and firefighting equipment into the forested areas
where access can be difficult. In 2004,
OFS will purchase an additional 3 ATVs, which will complete the equipment
requirements for the forestry program.
Finally, the OFS is currently pursuing the requirement to retrofit an
existing tanker truck for off-road use.
Recommendation
#4
City of Ottawa staff should take advantage of the
MNR's forest fire advisory message that is given daily during the forest fire
season.
The MNR office
located in Kemptville provides daily local information on fire behaviour
condition such as the likelihood a fire will start, if it does how it will
likely behave and what control problems might exist. The OFS's communication division accesses this information daily
and, based on the MNR ratings, OFS will restrict open air burning as it deems
appropriate to reduce the likelihood of forest fires. Built into the Open Air Fire permit process is a requirement for
the public to contact OFS each and every time an open air fire is planned to
ensure that the conditions are condusive to safe burning. Standard procedures for OFS also include the
immediate upgrade of any call during servere drought conditions to mitigate the
risk of potential fire spread to the forests.
Recommendation
#5
The Fire Services should develop a fire prevention
program for all forested and environmental lands.
As part of the
OFS Fire Prevention Model adopted by committee in December 2002, the Prevention
division has adopted the concept of public education specific to rural
areas. This program is now underway and
has, as part of its mandate, the responsibility for promoting fire safety in
all aspects of open air burning. As
well, built into the new Open Air Fire permit system proposed for May 1, 2004
are safety regulations and education with respect to Open Air Fire activities,
such as having sufficient equipment and people in attendance to control open
fires at all times, in an effort to mitigate risks of wildfires.
Recommendaiton
#6
The City should encourage safeguards with respecting
to housing and housing developments in the rural areas and near forested areas
which have wildfire potential.
Again, as part
of the Open Air Fire By-law approved by Council on March 10, 2004, Emergency
and Protective Services proposed guidelines to help ensure safe practices when
burning in proximity to the forests.
For example, burning is limited to prescribed sizes during traditionally
safe winter months. As well, while the
City's development services do not specifically prohibit development near the
forests, the Open Air Fire by-law does regulate the rules for land clearing by
fire when developing in these areas.
Based on the
recommendations for Fire Protection set out by the report, which facilitated
the assumption of responsibility by the City for forest managment, Ottawa Fire
Services has implemented or is in the process of implementing all aspects of
its new forestry program.
CONSULTATION
Transportation, Utilities and Public Works Department, Development Services, Ministry of Natural Resources.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no financial implications associated with
this report.